UPDATED: One Injured, One Unexpected, Two Canadian Dogs Arrive Alive

UPDATE: 10.4.11 Sura means "New Life" and that’s quite literally what this girl has found herself. This is the broken legged pup that I was talking about the other day. Thankfully, she made it safely down to Montreal on the next available flight and went straight to the vet for x-rays and veterinary attention. Sura, a 6-month old Lab/Corgi mix, was hit by a car in her hometown after she had been hiding from a group of bigger dogs.

When it happened, no one was there to make sure she was alive or to check if she needed help – which she desperately did. For nearly a week, she dragged herself around on a broken leg until a good-hearted person came to her rescue and called the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Northern Dogs Project.

As I said the other day, this girl didn’t make it onto the flight as scheduled on Saturday night so she spent one more night in the community and the next day was flown south and picked up by Rosie Animal Adoption in Montreal (who takes in, provides medical attention and re-homes many pups from this particular community). Sura was rushed to the specialty vet for x-rays that clearly showed a fractured femur but thankfully, no broken back.

Yesterday, Sura had successful surgery that required pins to hold the bones together and she is now recuperating until she is well enough to go to her new foster home. Her "new Life" will be full of love and pain-free from now on. As you can imagine, this type of care is very expensive and though Rosie’s and IFAW covered the cost of her surgery, we want to be ready for the next injured pup-in-need who arrives on our doorstep. It’s the gift that keeps on giving -- when you help IFAW, we help the animals in need. Thank you for your continued support of IFAW and rescues like Rosie Animal Adoption in Montreal. -- JH Together we can continue to help these dogs who otherwise have no chance of finding their "Sura".

ORIGINAL POST: Her name is Tiffy. But I’m calling her Pippi -- as in Longstocking -- because that is a ridiculous name for a short legged pup. She, Pippi, wasn’t even supposed to be here, as I had received a call last week about another puppy who had been hit by a car and needed medical attention pronto. This always sets in motion a logistical bonanza because the dogs are flown into Montreal – I’m in Guelph, more than 600km away. Instead, here was Pippi...I simply can't be two places at once! I admit it, I need volunteers in Montreal to pick up and overnight dogs for me.

So if you are that person, get in touch with me. I’m not kidding! It would make my life so much easier and would facilitate getting these beasties from north to south and east to west. Broken legged puppy was to fly down on Saturday night. Then I would try to find someone to pick him up at the airport and hopefully get volunteer ground transport to get him from Montreal to here.

On Friday, my colleague Kati was leaving the office and I heard her say “blabbedy bladdedy Montreal…” so I flew out of my seat to ask if she would, if she could pleeease bring this puppy from Montreal to Guelph. With one bit of the puzzle potentially taken care of, I emailed Rosie’s Animal Adoption in Montreal to ask if they had any volunteers who could pick up and overnight the puppy.

I received an email immediately saying they could help. Relief doesn’t begin to describe what I was feeling. It’s going to work! The plan was this – puppy gets picked up and immediately taken to the vet. If the puppy is in really bad shape, he will be euthanized so that he doesn’t have to endure any more pain. If he can be fixed, and he is well enough to travel to me, he will be provided with pain medication and Kati will bring him here on Sunday. Plan confirmed, check, check.

Then I got a call from the community end of things. The puppy had not made the flight. Total disappointment. This meant that the logistics start all over again and it’s not simply a rehome, it’s an urgent medical case. Then I got a call from Rosie’s Animal Adoption who was creatively working on a totally different kind of plan from their end. If I could take Tiffy/Pippi from them, they would take the broken legged pup when he flew down, hopefully on the Monday evening flight. By taking Pippy from them, it freed up one foster space that they could then use for the broken legged guy.

Perfecto!

Pippi and him are supposedly littermates. From the same community, she is about the same age and came down last week after scrounging for food in a parking lot for almost a week. Switch-a-roo complete. Pippy arrived yesterday afternoon and I’m looking forward to an update on the broken legged guy. Fingers crossed that he’s okay and prepping for a flight south. Thanks to Rosie’s for already helping the Northern Dogs that they pick up at the airport each month, fix and rehome but a big, personal thank you for the flexibility and generosity shown this weekend. -- JH

Comments: 4

Anonymous

6 years ago

What a great story! I am so moved. It is so great that there are many people care about a small life and devote for it. I wish good luck for Pippy!

Anonymous

6 years ago

What a nice story! I am so moved. I wish good luck for Pippy. And thank you for the rescue. It is really great that there are many people care about small life and devote to them. www.leehyojung.wordpress.com

Anonymous

6 years ago

Rosie Animal Adoption is an absolutely wonderful rescue, I adopted my sweet pug from them and they are awesome!

Anonymous

6 years ago

THAT IS SUCH A GREAT STORY. THANK GOD FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU. THANKS FROM ME AND ALL THE ANIMALS YOU